Tales of a Female Nomad Living at Large in the World, Rita Golden Gelman. (Hardcover 0609606425) Book Reviews,

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Tales of a Female Nomad Living at Large in the World
Author: Rita Golden Gelman

There's more than one way to do life. — In a small cemetery deep in the jungle of Borneo, two men climb into a freshly dug hole and retrieve the bones of a long-dead grandmother. An American guest joins the procession from the cemetery to the elaborately decorated village square for a traditional ceremony that will properly send Grandma off on he... more »r journey to the next world. In years past, a man from a neighboring tribe was sacrificed whenever this ceremony was performed. Today, in a new era, the neighboring tribe has been invited to participate in the festivities, and the only victim is a cow.

A few years earlier the American guest, Rita Golden Gelman, a children's book author and the mother of two grown children, was living in a comfortable suburban home, dining in elegant restaurants, and attending glamorous parties. Rita only dreamed of traveling to exotic places and experiencing other cultures. When her marriage failed, she decided to live her dream. She sold all her possessions and, at the age of forty-eight, took off to see the world. Fifteen years later, she's still without a permanent home.

Rita has lived in Mexico and the Galapagos Islands, Bali and New Guinea, Israel, Nicaragua, Thailand, and New Zealand. And she's still moving. Although she's not athletically gifted or independently wealthy, Rita has climbed mountains, paddled up rivers, and subsisted for a year on what many people spend in a few months. In Tales of a Female Nomad, Rita shares how she, an ordinary woman, has created a spectacular life, filled with interesting people, enlightening experiences, and fascinating adventures.

Determined to understand each local culture she visits, Rita stays not in hotels but with the natives on sleeping platforms or in huts, cement block houses, mountain cabins, or small bungalows. She even spent four years at a palace in Bali, complete with a prince. She's observed orangutans in the rain forests of Borneo, served as an unofficial tour guide in the Galapagos, taught herself the Indonesian language, and forged many lasting cross-cultural friendships. And the food — Rita has learned to cook exotic cuisine of all kinds, from elaborate Thai dishes to Nicaragua's staple, gallo pinto.

In addition to her tales of adventure, Rita shares the nitty-gritty details of how she manages to travel on scant funds and live without modern conveniences. To participate actively in the daily life of the communities she visits, she has learned to trust strangers to help her find places to stay and to teach her the local ways. The payoff is that she gains their trust as well.

Dynamic, vivacious, and a marvelous weaver of tales, Rita celebrates her glorious transformation from an unfulfilled suburbanite to a liberated and incredibly self-assured woman of the world. More than a travel memoir, Tales of a Female Nomad is the story of a woman's rebirth. Rita Golden Gelman's real-life tale proves beyond a doubt that anyone can cast away the burdens of conventional life at any age and continue — or begin — to thrive.

ISBN-13: 9780609606421
ISBN-10: 0609606425
Publication Date: 5/22/2001
Pages: 320
Rating:

Currently 3.8/5 Stars.

3.8 stars, based on 6 ratings

Publisher: Crown
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Maura C. (maurac23) reviewed Tales of a Female Nomad : Living at Large in the World on 10/6/2007

Helpful Score: 10

I really enjoyed this book. I've read many of the female traveler books such as Eat, Pray, Love, Around the world in 80 dates, Holy Cow an Indian adventure and Shutterbabe Adventures in Love and War. I think these types of books are so interesting. This one touched me because I can relate to someone who isn't caught up in the commercialism of the US, and who can find friends anywhere in the world. I really enjoyed this one!

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Bren (Breninithaca) reviewed Tales of a Female Nomad : Living at Large in the World on 1/20/2006 + 377 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 9

This is probably my favorite travel memoir of the many I have read. The way the author immerses herself in the cultures she visits is wonderful and you have to respect how hard she tries not to judge them based on the values of her own past. I hope at the age of 50 I have the kind of courage she shows.

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JoAnn G. (bookwoman28) reviewed Tales of a Female Nomad : Living at Large in the World on 9/8/2006 + 166 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 7

The fascinating true story of a middle aged divorced woman and mother of two who sold her possessions and began to live her dream of traveling the world. For 20 years she has lived a few months at a time, all over the world, in off-the-beaten-path villages, and with an amazing variety of people. Her ability to trust in the unknown just blew me away.

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Sari Lynn G. (sari-lynn) - , reviewed Tales of a Female Nomad : Living at Large in the World on 8/19/2009 + 207 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 3

I devoured this book in one weekend! Rita Golden Gelman is an inspiration. She's fearless, trusting, and a true citizen of the world. I loved that she spent time in several places I knew well (Guatemala & New Zealand) and enjoyed reading about all the other cultures she became a part of. Her book was a joy to read. She is much less self-absorbed and whiny than Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of "Eat, Pray, Love" and she travels the way I would - lightly, cheaply, and with the aim of connecting to the indigenous people she meets, learning their culture and languages

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Maureen N. (bookloverinla) reviewed Tales of a Female Nomad : Living at Large in the World on 7/3/2012 + 54 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 3

I loved this book!! The REAL Eat, Pray, Love! (the protagonist is likable!!) Truly, it's a beautiful book.

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Donna T. (realtrgrl3) reviewed Tales of a Female Nomad : Living at Large in the World on 11/11/2011 + 77 more book reviews

My 17 year old daughter seems to like this book.

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Lynn W. (ladylynn) reviewed Tales of a Female Nomad : Living at Large in the World on 10/1/2011 + 100 more book reviews

My next trip will be very different from previous trips. Rushing from monument to museum to "starred" hotels and restaurants just isn't going to cut it; connecting with people is. Ms Gelman has written an amazing travelogue.

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Trish O. reviewed Tales of a Female Nomad : Living at Large in the World on 12/20/2010 + 3 more book reviews

Loved this book, she is the epitome of real traveling. I admire her sensibility towards other cultures, her respect for other views without intervention trying to "fix" it.She inspired me to be part of Serpa, I am considering become a member now.
I read it in one day, could not put it down,and after it all the books about traveling seemed boring .
Read it ,you won't regret the choice.

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